Separable fastener



Jan. 19, 1937. Q SUNDBACK SEPARABLE FASTENER Filed- Sept. 1, 1933 i E Nk.

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Patented Jan. 19, 1937 PATENT OFFICE SEPARABLE FASTENER Gideon Sundback, Meadville, Pa., assigner to Hookless Fastener Company, Meadville, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania `rlpplimmm september 1, 193s, serial No. 681,802

4 claims. (o1. :a4-205) This invention relates to separable fasteners and particularly to the beaded edge construction of flexible stringers for such f asteners This application is in part a continuation of my earlier application, Ser. No. 402,729, led October 26, 1929, now Patent No. 1,949,889, dated March 6, 1934.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved beaded edge construction which will not require additional operations for attaching cords or the like to a flat tape, or a complicated weaving operation to weave a cord in the edge of the tape.

According to the present invention the beaded edge or shoulder is formed by folding up the edge of the flexible strip which is usually a fabric tape. In order to get sufficient thickness for the shoulder it is preferable to have at least three plies of fabric.

In the accompanying drawing I have shcwn for purposes of illustration, three embodiments which my-invention may assume in practice. In this drawing:

Fig. 1 illustrates generally a fastener of the type to which my invention relates;

Fig. 2 shows in cross-Section one embodiment of the stringer construction; and

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate in cross-section two other embodiments.

The separable fastener shown in Fig. 1 comprises two fexible stringers or tapes, vhaving single ply base portions .5 and beaded edges 6 and fastener elements 'l arranged in uniformly spaced relation and clamped around the beaded edges 6. The fastener elements are brought into engaging relation by means of a slider 8 which is actuated. by a pull tab 9. The construction and operation of the fastener elements and sliderare well-known and will not be further described.

Referring to Fig.I 2, each fastener element 1 has clamping jaws I IJ which engage around the beaded edge. In this instance, the tapes are folded over at II and reversely folded under the rst fold so that the edge I2 extends nearly to the rst fold. This provides a shoulder on one side and in order to form a.V shoulder on the other side, a separate cord or strip I3 is arranged in proper position. This additional strip can be guided into the machine which clamps on the fastener elements. and no additional attaching means is required.

It is likewise true that in this embodiment and the other embodiments, the folded edge does not need to be held together by sewing or other means since the folder can be arranged very close to the mechanism which clamps on the fastener elements.

In Fig. 3, the tape is first folded back upon itself at I4 and itis reversely folded at I5 back around the rst fold to the oppositeside of the tape and the edge I6 is turned under so as to provide two additional plies on each side of the tape, making a ve ply beaded edge. This structure is symmetrical and in cases where it can befolded without difficulty itwould be a desirable construction. However, the structure shown in Fig. 4 is easier to control accurately in the manufacture of fasteners, and it is believed to'be the preferred construction. In this case, the tape isA first folded at II and reversely folded at I 8 back around the first fold so that the edge I9 overlaps on the opposite side to provide a single ply on that side. This results in a four ply section which is of suflcient thick,

- ing a single ply fabric tape folded along one;

edge back upon itself and having the edge turned under said folded portion to provide a shoulder on one side of the tape.- and means forming a shoulder on the opposite side of said tape, said shoulders constituting means lto receive the clamping portions of fastener elements.

2. A stringer for separable interlocking fasteners comprising a flexible strip having its edge folded back vupon itself and reversely folded back around said first fold so that the edge of the tape lies on the opposite side from the rst fold to -provide a four ply beaded edge for receiving 4the clamping portions'of fastener elements.

3. A stringer for separable fastenersrof the class described, comprising an elongated narrow fabric tape with a single ply base portion and a beaded edge providing shoulders on both sides of the plane of said tape, said beaded edge being relatively narrow so that it is adapted to be completely embraced by the jaws of the separable fastener elements,` said beaded edge cons isting of folds of the tape to provide the shoulder on one side of the plane of the base portion, and means forming the shoulder on the opposite side of the plane of said base portion.

4. A stringer for separable fasteners comprising a fabric tape having a single ply base portion and a beaded edge providing shoulders on opposite sides of the plane of the base4 portion and comprising at least four plies of tape folded upon one another, the extreme edge of the tape being included in the beaded edge.

GIDEON SUNDBACK. 

